


All The Small Things

by GMTYUniverse



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: (The teeny tiny lil bit was about the smut not about harry being a botanist lol), Abroad, Airplane meeting, And mourning Jay/coping with Jays passing, Architect!Louis, Botanist!Harry, Cute, Fluff, M/M, Madurodam, Maybe - Freeform, a teeny tiny lil bit, also harry is the one having a bit of a crisis, deep talk over miniature houses, if you squint your eyes, is there some smut in here?, layover Amsterdam Airport, some mentions of grief, thus is actually Backpacker!Harry throughout the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-18 04:23:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15477591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GMTYUniverse/pseuds/GMTYUniverse
Summary: Louis places a hand on Harry’s arm, and gives him a little reassuring squeeze which coincidentally provides him with a great opportunity to feel how firm his biceps is. An image of a sweaty Harry working out swiftly enters his mind, but he wills it away as he starts talking.‘I wouldn’t have brought it up if I didn’t want you to join, God’s honest truth. Please don’t feel obliged, though.’Harry snorts at that, then sends Louis a bright smile. “Then I’d love to come with you. I’ve always thought it’d be a really cool thing to go and see.”He tries to hide his satisfied grin from breaking out, calming himself as he nods instead and lets go of Harry’s arm.‘Great. You’ll have to tell me about it when we’re in the train, I’ve got no idea what it is we’re actually going to see. Is it just miniature buildings? Like a maquette?’Harry grins at Louis’ questions. “You didn’t read the leaflet the ground stewardess gave you, did you?”‘Not a single word’.Or: The one where Louis & Harry meet and go on a shared adventure to miniature Netherlands due to a faulty plane, Louis' restlessness, Harry's excitedness and a healthy dose of fate & infatuation at first sight.





	All The Small Things

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the organizers of this fic fest! I loved participating <3

**Present day**

The Hague, Netherlands

Louis’ fingers grip a little tighter around the trinket in his pocket, as he stares at the entrance of the park. He knows it’s a long shot, and he knows that what he hopes will happen is much more likely in a fairytale than in real life – yet he can’t help himself from holding onto the slight chance everything will work out.

They haven’t talked in a while (12 days, 2 hours and 24 minutes not that Louis’ counting), haven’t seen each other in months (exactly 6 months). I mean, how could they – Louis was busy with work, Harry was busy traveling the world. So Louis doesn’t quite know whether or not Harry will appreciate the email he sent him, telling him to meet at the park where they met. Kind of.

It’s just – Louis found himself suddenly involved in designing this building in the Hague, and before he knew it he’d recklessly purchased a ticket to Madurodam and he was standing in front of the miniature dike at the entrance, with his heart thumping in his chest. Even though he realistically knows that even if Harry shows up, it doesn’t necessarily _mean_ anything.

The last time they’d been in touch Harry had mailed him his travel itinerary. Asked him if maybe he wanted to go for a pint once he’d settled back into London life. It’d been open-ended. Maybe it had made Louis’ heart thump erratically in his chest, but essentially it’d been nothing but a friendly invite to catch up.

He sighs in an attempt to calm himself, then looks down at his phone. He grins at the text from Liam.

_Good luck Lou! And don’t worry about ur plants, they’re fine_

It’s almost like no time has passed at all. All he needs is for Harry to appear in 3, 2, 1…

 

 

* * *

 

 

**6 months earlier**

Heathrow, United Kingdom

_Don’t forget to water my plants!!!_  

Louis quickly presses send, then smiles innocently at the steward who passes him by. He knows that he should probably already be putting his phone away for take-off, but both he and the steward know very well that he’s got some time left to send out last-minute texts while the rest of the plane is boarding.

It’s not the first time that Louis gets to fly business class, but it _is_ the first time he’s going to be on such a long flight where he’ll really get to experience the benefits of being able to sleep horizontally whilst in the air.

His phone pings, alerting him to the fact that Liam’s texted him back.

_I know – u told me 3000 times already bro. Now turn off ur phone and have a good flight!_

Louis can’t help but smile, he’s aware that he’s been bugging Liam about his housesitting skills for ages. It’s just that for the first time in his life Louis has managed to keep some sort of flora alive and kicking in his apartment, and he’d like for it to stay that way while he’s gone.

It shouldn’t be too long of a trip, he’s only being flown out there to oversee the initial foundation. He’s also got the blueprints for them to continue on site without needing Louis to physically be present all the time.

But it’s not like Louis is going to say no to the opportunity of flying to Australia of all places. He’s never been, and he is actually kind of regretting not negotiating a longer stay for him, but then he remembers the birthday of his youngest siblings that’s coming up in just 3 weeks.

There’s still a lingering ache in his heart that he’s started to accept will never quite leave when he thinks about how cruel the world is. It’s been 3 years now, and there are still moments aplenty where he misses his mother, and wishes he could talk to her. But he almost feels guilty for it sometimes too, because at least he had her for the most years out of all his siblings. He got to grow up with her, have her as a mother for 25 years. His youngest siblings didn’t even have her for 4.

It’s why he makes sure to be there for as many family occasions as possible, and spend time with the youngest twins – if only to tell them the best stories about their mum, an actual angel.

He cranes his head to see where the flight attendant has gone off to, then quickly sends another text to Liam that he will try his hardest not to crash the plane, but that seeing as he's not the pilot, he can't make any promises.

There's another text waiting for him from Lottie as he exits his chat with Liam. She's sent it to the family group chat - a photo of her and Doris waving at the camera. He can't help but grin, then takes a quick selfie of him lounging in his posh seat before sending it back. It's not every day he gets to fly surrounded by such luxury.

He's about to check out what kind of on-flight entertainment is offered in business class and whether that includes a better film selection than he's used to, when there's a flurry of activity up front the plane. His curiosity is apparently quite visible to onlookers, as within second there's the steward from before, giving him a warm smile as he apologises for the inconvenience of having to let economy passengers board the plane this way.

Louis shoots the man a befuddled look, and looks back to the handful of other travelers now making their way down the plane. "You don't have to apologise, it's not an issue at all. Was just curious what the noise was about," he replies as he accepts the complementary glass of bubbly he's offered in return.

He's not sure what it is about business class flyers that has made stewards want to offer them copious amounts of alcohol at the slightest of disturbances, nor does he know whether it's something he wants to get used to or not.

But for now, he's content getting to people watch from his first class seat whilst nipping on a really great glass of champagne.

Louis quite likes making up stories for every other person that's boarding the plane now, and he can't help but giggle quietly at a very inquisitive toddler that's being herded into economy class by a very tired looking mother. For a split second he considers letting her switch seats - he can't imagine being cooped up in a plane with a hyperactive toddler for almost 24 hours, without getting any actual rest.

But then he realises that even though business seats are big, they aren't that big and won't be able to house two people. It's probably not even allowed, goes right against safety regulations and all that. So, he settles back in, sighs in wonder how an airplane seat can be so comfortable, then focuses back on the final group of passengers who are now getting in.

Clearly they're late, as the smile of the stewardess who's standing at the door seems only slightly strained, and the final person stepping into the cabin is breathing heavily as they hop inside. It's a man, clad in comfortable clothes but with a pretty large backpack. He seems to be about Louis' age, and he's got the most exquisite curls that make Louis kind of want to reach out and touch. He also kind of wants to stare at him a bit longer, maybe see if that hint of a dimple he spotted earlier when he shot the stewardess an apologetic smile will make a return - but then suddenly the steward from before is standing next to him again.

 

"Sir, on behalf of Quantas I'd like to welcome you aboard this airplane. My name is Adam, I will be your steward this trip, and am happy to assist with whatever necessary to make this trip as comfortable as possible. If there's anything you need," he pauses then and raises his eyebrows at Louis, "just anything, you can press this button right here, and I'll come as soon as possible." The way in which he leans over Louis' body and emphasises the word 'come' in an admittedly sexy Australian accent still somehow make Louis all the less inclined to make use of his services. It's nice to know a good looking Australian steward has got the hots for him based on his appearance alone, but Louis isn't _that_ keen to join the mile high club with a mere stranger.

It's not really his speed, one-night stands and one-offs and all that. Louis quite likes monogamy, and knowing him and his partner are on the same page before sexually graduating to stuff like airplane sex. He's not opposed to airplane sex, it's just that Louis has realised that he very much enjoys things in his sex life - in any realm of his life, actually - to be based on a solid foundation of trust and loyalty. So he will pass on the steward, no matter how hot the accent is. Maybe if he'd been a bit younger, like - three years ago, when he was still in school and fully taking advantage of the plethora of hot boys going around after his first relationship with a boy had fallen apart just the year before - maybe then he'd have gone for it.

"Thank you very much, but I'm good right now," Louis says instead with a smile, then tries to look around the steward in hopes of catching another glimpse of the attractive man. However, it seems that he's missed out on the attractive man making his way down the aisle, so instead he just settles back into his seat and actually finds himself watching in amusement as the safety video starts playing on the screen in front of him.

The instructions are being demonstrated by children in miniature outfits of the actual pilots and stewards. It's adorable, and cute and incredibly ineffective as he spends most of his time being endeared by the little actors, rather than memorizing the route to his closest exit.

The stewardess who'd initially greeted him when he'd entered the plane, passes by to check if he's got his seatbelt on and his phone switched to airplane mode. Louis shows her his phone display that indicates he's actually done as asked this time around. She gives him another beatific smile in return, the kind that all stewards seem to be so very good at to the point it unnerves Louis, then moves on to the person sitting in front of him. Louis plugs his headphones into the in-flight entertainment system and relaxes back in his seat. He's not allowed yet to recline it, but the additional comfort that comes with business class luxury and fluffy pillows and actual space for him to fold himself up like a pretzel still allows him to sigh in contentment.

This flight is going to be a doozy, he thinks to himself as he sees the purser up ahead make some announcements before strapping herself into a nearby seat as well. They're supposed to have a short layover in Amsterdam, just an hour or two or so to stock up on gas and load some more passengers on board he supposes. If he was in economy class he'd probably have a good look around to gauge his chances of getting to sleep sprawled across two or maybe even three seats for the remainder of the flight.

But he isn't, so instead he just chooses to immerse himself in the wide selection of music made available by Qantas. He ends up putting on the latest record from the Arctic Monkeys that's only been out for a while now. Louis loves them, can still remember the first time he went to a gig of theirs. It had been magical, and even though it was his then boyfriend that had introduced him to the Mancunian band, he'd come to love them all on his own. And when he broke up with his boyfriend, he'd deftly taken all the Arctic Monkeys records with him. They needed a loving home, and evidently a cheating dickhead didn't quite deserve to cherish those albums.

He likes to think that despite the fact the Arctic Monkeys don't know him, they truly do understand him - their latest album is focused entirely around the concept of a hotel. A building. If anything, Louis sees it as a sign that Alex Turner and himself are platonic soulmates. The album is definitely long enough to last him until Amsterdam, so he settles into his chair and turns the volume up.

 

* * *

 

Amsterdam, Netherlands

The flight to Amsterdam is over as soon as it's begun, and it makes him slightly annoyed that he's spent more time at the airport than in the actual air what with all the double and triple security checks, boarding time, passport checks and of course the allotted time they advise you to spend at the airport in case of any sudden changes. In reality, it means that you get to spend more time window-shopping or actual shopping once you've passed security and realise that you're way too early and have two hours to kill at the very least with no fucking water, because you're not allowed to bring that along 'for safety reasons'. It's like they want you to be dehydrated and totally parched on your flight.

Initially, he thinks that he can just remain in his seat and wait patiently for other passengers to board as he looks out the window and tries to understand what luggage could possibly be necessary to be unloaded here. Noone is supposed to get off the flight in Amsterdam, and he hasn't seen any of the on-board staff members leave the aircraft either.

Maybe there's some sort of Tetris-like science to fitting all luggage into the hold, so he turns away to instead look on as another plane makes its way towards the track from where it will soon depart. Sometimes he imagines himself as pilot. It seems like a fun job, and he does quite like driving as well. On the other hand, you'd have to sit still for hours on end, and apart from the occasional bird that could potentially at high speed fly right into the cockpit (it can happen, he saw it on Mythbusters) - it's really not all that adventurous.

He's just starting to think that it seems to be taking quite some time for any new passengers to be allowed on board, when he sees one of the ground stewards hurry up the stairs and step into the plane. Louis has to lean out of his chair a bit to properly catalog the man's facial expression, but he doesn't seem to be very happy as he starts talking to the purser.

Still, Louis only starts getting worried when the two pilots arrive and start partaking in the discussion as well, before returning to the cockpit with a shake of their heads. His fears get confirmed almost right away as he sees the purser reach for the intercom and starts speaking.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen and everyone who identifies differently. This is your purser speaking. I regret to inform you that due to a possible defect in the landing gear, I have to kindly ask all passengers to disembark this aircraft. We are terribly sorry about the delay and therefore would like to offer you free access to the Aspire Lounge here at Schiphol Airport while we wait for repairs. We will of course keep you updated on any progress and hope to be in the air later today. Please follow instructions of your nearby stewards as you get ready to disembark. Again, our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this delay may cause you."

A collective groan seems to rise up from the travelers, and Louis almost giggles at how the sound travels even through the relatively empty business class section. Sure, he's annoyed too and he's not looking forward to having to leave just after he'd gotten situated and comfortable, but he's hoping for a quick repair so they can get on with it.

The flight to Australia is terribly long as it is already, no need for additional delays to make the hellish trip even more, well, _hellish_.

Just as when they boarded, business class passengers are allowed off the plane first. It kind of makes him feel more important than he is, and slightly uncomfortable at the continuous separation from the other economy class passengers. He used to be one of them, after all. It's just that he doesn't quite feel at home with the business class people. They all seem to be frequent flyers, with their tech kits and suits on, or in the case of one couple - very trendy tracksuits, with monogrammed bags and carry-ons.

Louis had borrowed a space-themed little trolley from his friend Niall, and while it's at least very recognisable and probably won't get stolen unless you're a NASA fanatic, it's also not really... business-class appropriate.

Not that anyone had given him any trouble over it so far, but he'd definitely write down 'suitcase carry-on model!!' on his mental birthday wishes list.  He whips out his phone with a grin as he realises he can finally turn airplane mode off again and composes a text for his friends' groupchat. His birthday isn't in months, but they always nag him for not giving them any solid gift ideas, so he's not going to pass on the opportunity this time.

_"Flight delayed, some sort of mechanical issue. Listen lads, I've come to the conclusion that Niall's NASA space carry-on does not do well with the rich gents. Proposed birthday present: Find Louis a nice black monogrammed carry-on trolley."_

He doesn't have to wait long before Niall responds with an offended GIF, letting Louis know how eternally grateful he should be that his friend who works at ESA was nice enough to lend him a professional, official NASA trolley.

Which - of course Louis is grateful, it's just that he'd be even more grateful if he had his own trolley. It's kind of insane to even wrap his head around the fact that he's apparently made a name for himself as an architect. A name big enough to warrant a personal visit and check out the site of the new British Embassy building. God, he still can't quite believe he's going to be partly responsible for the way in which the United Kingdom is represented abroad.

In that respect, it's quite unfortunate they'll be delayed - as it provides Louis with more time to doubt himself and go over his blueprints until he himself gets blue in the face from staring at them all day long. He knows what he's sketched out, knows what he has designed, knows that the Ambassador and to a certain extent even the Queen herself has agreed to it - so he really shouldn't worry or change anything.

But he's also a perfectionist, and he knows that if he doesn't have any type of distraction for the next couple of hours (or however long the repairs are going to take), he's going to drive himself nuts. So the first thing he does when he arrives at the lounge is order himself a drink while he mulls over his options.

Not much comes to mind aside from shopping at the airport, but he's not too keen on that either. His bags are already packed with way too many clothes he's not going to need, as well as space for presents. He'd promised his sisters he'd bring them back souvenirs, and he's not going to go back on that promise.

Louis looks around then, only to notice that the lounge has started to fill up with other people rather quickly. He recognises some faces from earlier on board the plane, but he can't help himself as he feels an absent twinge of disappointment at the absence of the curly haired man.

A heavy bag is set down just millimeters from Louis' toes, and Louis immediately whirls back around to see whoever was stupid enough to unload right next to his feet.

 

'Oops, I'm so sorry - eh, I didn't hit you, did I? It's my first time, I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate the big thing,' a deep voice pipes up.

Louis can't quite believe that _that_ voice belongs to the curly-haired man he'd looked for just moments ago.

"Hi, it's alright. You were close there, though," he jokes, before shuffling his stool a bit to the side as to create some more space for the other man. He'd like to think the man chose to sit next to him on purpose, but the lounge is quite crowded, and the man has both a huge backpack as well as pretty long legs. A bar stool was probably the only option available. Not that Louis' going to complain about fate throwing him a bone like this.

'Again, I'm so sorry, and I didn't even ask if it was alright for me to sit here, but it's the only seat that's free and where I can keep my backpack close,' the man apologises again, and Louis just grins then shakes his head.

"Really, it's fine. You didn't harm me, and I'm not going to keep you from sitting down on an empty seat, you're all good."

He kind of wants to continue the conversation, but they're also strangers from one another. The other man pulls out his phone and shoots Louis one last smile before focusing on the screen in front of him. He takes it as a dismissal, and instead goes for his laptop himself. With no distractions, he might as well check his work mail - see if there's anything else he can sketch instead of unnecessarily redoing parts of his embassy design.

Louis apparently doesn't have any e-mails apart from his colleague Laura who sent him a bunch of puppy GIFs as a good-luck charm for his time in Australia, followed by a bunch of poop emojis to signal how envious she is, followed by another email saying she's deleted her emails from her log and if Louis could please do the same so their boss doesn't ever find a trace of their exchange.

He smiles and sends her back a very professional-sounding email that ends with a "PS. done ;)" and then he goes to delete her emails from his inbox too. When Louis next checks the time, he finds that apparently answering and deleting three emails doesn't really make much of a dent in the clock. Only minutes have passed, and he's already struggling to keep himself occupied.

Louis knows Lottie would laugh at him and throw in a bunch of 'I told you so' comments. She'd told him to get some puzzle books and magazines, but he'd stubbornly said he'd be fine as long as he could watch a movie and sleep.

 

He looks over at the attractive man, and thinks for a bit. Can he trust a person with such a big backpack and wild and unruly curls to watch over his stuff? He glances up at the screen that displays departure times, the red 'delayed' glaring back at him as he looks for their flight. Another minute passes, and Louis lets out another sigh of annoyance at himself.

Alright, he thinks. If my laptop gets stolen after this, at least he'll know with 100% certainty who did it.

"Hey," he starts, tapping the other man on his arm. There's a tattoo peeking out from under his sleeve and it only distracts Louis for a minor second, before his eyes snap up to focus on the green ones of his fellow traveler. "Do you think you could watch my stuff for a bit while I go walk around? I'm already feeling bored and cooped up in here."

The man startles at Louis' words, but then nods his head right away. Louis hadn't really expected differently from someone who is clearly planning to trek across Australia and would inevitably have to rely on the kindness of other people himself as well. 'Yeah of course, no trouble at all.'

Apparently the backpacker also has a dimple when he smiles, which Louis thinks is just unfair and he tries really hard to ignore it as he thanks him, before turning back towards his bag to dig out his wallet. He's going to need some coffee, he decides, and maybe a nice cup of tea for the other stranger. Can't go wrong with a good cuppa.

When he returns to the lounge after having browsed, and having succumbed to buying a booklet full of sudokus and crosswords and other puzzles, he finds out that apparently you _can_ go wrong with a cuppa.

'I'm so sorry you went through all this trouble, it's just - I'm not a big fan of black teas? I could maybe see myself drinking green tea, but I reckon I'm more of a coffee person,' the man explains apologetically, shrugging his shoulders as he hands Louis the steaming cup of tea and the various packets of sugar and milk back.

"You're honestly a disgrace to the British people, but it's only now starting to make sense to me that you've obviously decided to do the honourable thing and send yourself off to the Outback and I respect that."

It elicits a honky laugh from the guy that immediately serves to lift Louis' mood, and he kind of wants to hear it again the moment he stops laughing. It's cute, is what it is. An adorable, weird grin is exactly the type of thing that usually gets Louis going.

'It was the only option I had left, the shame was too much.' The man agrees with a shrug, and well, a guy with an adorable grin and appreciation for banter is definitely Louis' type.

"You're very brave," Louis manages to say with a very serious face, before breaking out into a grin. The other man just gives him another cheeky smile that shows off his dimples.

The thing is, if you randomly meet someone - as in, not in a setup where you might have mutual friends or be a person you've heard of even tangentially, or know you'll see each other again - there is this lingering awkwardness as to when is an appropriate time to ask for a name. Louis is never quite sure when that window of opportunity arises, or when it closes again.

 

So he doesn't ask, and he feels a bit stupid for it when their initial conversation seems to bleed dry when the other man's phone buzzes and he shoots him an apologetic look before turning away. It's a small consolation that apparently Curly had enjoyed their conversation too.

He figures it doesn't matter much, even though he can't quite shake the feeling that he shouldn't have given up so easily. It's just a flight, and clearly they'll have different plans once they arrive at their destination. It's not a big deal.

Louis turns back to his own phone as he starts on his second cuppa, debating whether or not he should text Lottie to admit defeat about the crosswords. He's just about to take a photo of the booklets when he hears some scuffling and annoyed groans coming from a group of passengers nearby. His eyes immediately flit to the screen. The word 'cancelled' stares back at him in red capital letters.

Which - is not good. Louis is traveling for work, he has commitments he has to follow up on. He calls his boss immediately, but she tells him it's fine and it's out of his hands. The only thing he can do is figure out whether the flight will be rescheduled for tomorrow or if he has to book a new flight altogether, and he has to find accommodation.

It appears Qantas is very much aware that the entire lounge is now in uproar and will demand compensation beyond just their stay in the lounge for today, because he can see a bunch of Qantas-clad personnel has now entered the area and has started talking to people and handing out vouchers.

He hopes they also come equipped with some fun ideas for local activities. It's only 11 in Amsterdam, and Louis has absolutely no idea on what he's supposed to do next.

He doesn't have to wait long - his personal steward seems to have spotted him at the bar and quickly walks over to him with a regretful smile on his face.

'Sir, there you are. I'm incredibly sorry to have to inform you that our plane will not be leaving this airport until tomorrow morning. On behalf of Qantas I would like to personally apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. We offer all our premium flyers unlimited use of the lounge's facilities and have already arranged accommodation for you, as well as a waiver of half the ticket fee. Here are some vouchers which you can use to buy any necessary equipment such as clothes or toiletries or other products. Of course, if you have any questions, I'm here to assist you.'

It feels a bit strange being spoken to in such a manner, and Louis feels weirdly self-conscious of how he's being dosed in vouchers and waivers and privileges as if he's a business man who flies intercontinental on the daily.

He feels like a fraud, is what it is. It makes him want to splutter and say no to all that he's being offered, but he also kind of wants to splurge a bit and maybe use the fragrance voucher to buy that new Dior Homme perfume he'd been wanting to get for a while now.

"Right, thank you. Er - I guess you wouldn't happen to know if there's any possibility of _leaving_ the airport?"

It's not like Louis is claustrophobic, it's just that the idea of having no way out, and mostly having nothing to do makes him feel trapped and bored and on-edge. He'd rather make the most of his time here now that he's going to have to spend the day here anyways. Louis' never been to properly visit the Netherlands before (a one-time stay in Amsterdam to get high and go clubbing when he was 19 does not really count), and he'd quite like to get himself properly acquainted with the country.

 

Adam seems to think on this, then promises to return to Louis with more information as he excuses himself - he has other passengers to shower in freebies. It makes him wonder how much budget airlines have to keep available at all times for instances like this. The numbers on the vouchers staring back at him are very... generous.

'Well, I wish I had been in business class. That's quite the care package,' the deep voice from before pipes up. Louis immediately whirls around, only to see the man he'd been talking to earlier flush as he starts apologizing for listening in.

"It's fine, to be honest I would've done the same. So, did they offer all passengers a place to stay or is it just us business class people who get the luxury of a bed?"

The man shrugs his shoulders. 'Not that different from how it'd have been in the plane, innit? We get to sleep in a chair while the posh ones get to sleep in a bed.'

"Well, a chair that folds out into a bed," Louis corrects him with a small smile. He hesitates for a second, but the way the stranger's green eyes sparkle make him a bit braver than usual.

'I'm Louis, by the way, nice to meet you.' He stretches out his hand but is left with it awkwardly dangling in the air when Adam lightly rests his hand on his shoulder and forces him to turn around and address him, instead of hearing the other man's name.

"Excuse me, sir. I'm pleased to say that as a European citizen you should be able to leave and return the airport without any issue. I've brought along my Dutch colleague who'll happily inform you of any sorts of activities you could plan whilst staying in the vicinity of the airport."

Of course Louis knows that the blue-eyed, blonde-haired, clog-wearing stereotype that exists about the Dutch isn't true, but he still finds himself slightly surprised by the brown-haired, hazel-eyed woman who appears in front of him instead - hands filled with flyers and leaflets of what he guesses are tourist attractions.

'Hello, sir. I've brought along some leaflets for you to look through, there are many nice spots for you to visit depending on what interests you - the arts, entertainment, sports, Dutch culture, perhaps just some general sight-seeing?'

She looks at him expectantly, as if he's supposed to have a plan on what could potentially interest him about the Netherlands. The thing is though that he obviously didn't plan to be there, so he has no clue what would be the right choice for him.

He tells her as much, adding that he's an architect for good measure, so anything to do with architectural design would be great. (No, Louis is not a workaholic at all.)

"Well, the best place I can think of to see as much as possible in very little time, which is also focused on buildings would definitely be Madurodam."

It sounds like a garbled mess of vowels to Louis, and he's about to ask for clarification and maybe see if she happens to have a flyer of whatever Madurodam on her as well, so he can have a look.

 

He doesn't get the chance though, because there's a delighted gasp coming from behind him that makes him turn his head instead.

'Is that the miniature park? I've heard about that!' Apparently Curly is quite excited about the park. His mood is very infectious, since Louis suddenly finds himself deciding that he is definitely going there.

The woman nods in his direction, then turns back towards Louis. "Yes, Sir, indeed. You would have to exit the airport and take public transport there, but we'd be happy to accommodate you."

It's somehow irritating to see her ignore the other man completely, probably based only off of his clothes and the fact that it's Louis who had a personal steward fetch her. He understands that technically he paid for the personal service and the other man didn't, but he still finds it rude and rather uncivil of her. He tries not to let it affect him as he thanks her while she hands him a leaflet on the park as well as the public transport system.

'I could take care of your luggage for you, and arrange for it to be brought to your hotel room here Sir. That way you can enjoy your time without worrying about the logistics,' Adam offers, and Louis is starting to wonder whether this is also part of the personal service, or if it's just because Adam keeps staring at Louis' bum for a tad too long whenever he turns. Either way, it makes him a bit uncomfortable. Besides, his blueprints are in his suitcases, and he doesn’t trust them with anyone else. Plus, he thinks he might change out of his travel clothes if he's going to spend the day outside. Freshen up a bit, and all that.

So he declines the offer, tells Adam he's grateful for his assistance and hopes to see him tomorrow, which elicits a smile from the young steward.

Then he turns back and splays out the leaflet on the bar top, nudging the other man. "Fancy a trip with a somewhat stranger? I'm pretty bad in being by myself, and you seemed enthusiastic."

The man shoots him a surprised look, that quickly morphs into a smile, followed by a grimace. Not entirely the reaction Louis was hoping for. Even though he hadn’t been 100% serious before, he really wouldn’t have minded if he’d have said yes.

'Oh! I mean, I'd love to come, really. It's just that they don't offer accommodation to us economy class folk, and I don't have a place to put my backpack for the day, so I don't think I can,' he trails off, sadly.

Without realising, Louis blurts out yet another proposal that is probably really rather stupid considering he still hasn't even caught the man's first name. "You could just put your stuff in the room they got me, I wouldn't mind."

The moment the words escape him does he realise how entirely inappropriate of an offer that is to make. He doesn't even know this man's first name, and they don't know anything about each other except that they're on the same flight, headed to Australia.

The other man seems to take it in stride though, as he doesn't react at all - except for a small smile as he seems to ponder what to do. 'That's awfully kind of you to offer, but I can't accept. You don't even know my name, and I'd hate to put you out or impose in any way.'

Louis grins a bit more confidently this time, noting the teasing lilt present in the man's speech. "So, tell me your name? Would that solve the problem? At the very least you could leave your backpack in my room so you don’t have to lug it around all the time. ‘s probably quite heavy.”

‘You have no idea. I really should’ve spent more time in the gym, preparing my back for this heavyweight. Not quite sure what I’m thinking, spending months with _this_ strapped to myself.’

Louis hums. He indeed wouldn’t know. Traveling the world all by himself without anyone to share it with, without any sort of security – it’s not really his thing, he thinks. But he admires the guts it takes to do that. To leave everything behind and just go out there, with no set plans – just to see the world.

They’re both quiet for a bit, Louis isn’t quite ready to walk away yet. Besides, he is perfectly content pretending to be engrossed by the multitude of flyers spread out on the countertop of the bar. He makes sure to slide the discount coupons for a train ride, including Madurodam tickets in the man’s eyesight.

Apparently it works, because Louis can see the frown on the man’s face disappear when he steals a glance in his direction.

‘It’s Harry. My name, that is. And if it’s still an option, I think I’d love to at least be able to leave my bag somewhere that isn’t my back.’

A smile spreads onto Louis’ face as he turns to look at him fully. Harry looks a bit shy and unsure, but there’s excitement dancing in his eyes.  “Nice to meet you, Harold. Shall we go, then?”

 

* * *

 

The trip to and from the hotel room doesn’t take very long – even though Louis spends some time looking around, marvelling at the fact it has a sofa-bed and kitchenette and actual separate bedroom. Harry asks him about a thousand times throughout the process whether or not it’s really okay for him to be there, if Louis doesn’t need any more information or wants to look at his passport maybe, if he’s sure. In the end he just wrestles the enormous backpack off of Harry’s back, asks if he’s got his essentials, and then pushes him back out the room.

They have a laugh about it right after, and Louis asks himself whether things are supposed to be or feel so _easy_ with a virtual stranger. He decides not to let himself question it.

“So what’s bringing a fancy business man like you to Australia, anyways?”

Louis snorts at the term, then looks over at Harry as he pockets his phone and wallet in his jacket. He’d changed into some jeans and a vintage shirt earlier, but he’s glad he took his denim jacket with him last minute – the Dutch weather is unpredictable and not nearly as nice as what he’s supposedly going to experience in Sydney and Canberra.

‘Business.’

Harry rolls his eyes at him as he motions at the yellow machines where they’re supposed to get train tickets, letting Louis go first in getting the right ones. “Of course it’s business, you’re a business man flying business class.”

‘Do business men wear Adidas joggers on their plane flights?’ Louis retorts.

“Wealthy business men who like to be comfortable on a 24-hour flight wear _personalised_ Adidas joggers,” Harry points out primly. It makes Louis laugh in surprise – clearly Harry had spent some time watching his outfit, if he’d spotted the little cross-eyed smiley his sister had cross-stitched onto them for him.

‘m afraid I’m not that wealthy. Just got lucky this one time, I suppose,’ Louis pauses then as he gets his train ticket. ‘Thanks for helping me with this, by the way. I’m assuming you’ve been to the Netherlands before?’

Harry nods at that, a small smile on his face. “Yeah. Went to Amsterdam right after 6th form with a couple of mates. It’s nice, but maybe a bit too crowded? We cycled around a bit.”

Louis pays for his ticket and moves to the side, motioning for Harry to take his place instead. ‘Hm. Smoke any weed? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do in Amsterdam?’

A flush takes over Harry’s cheeks as he shrugs. “Maybe?” It comes out as more of a question than a statement, and it makes Louis grin. He doesn’t really understand why it’s making Harry nervous to talk about – he’s quite sure that anyone who’s gone to university has got some experience with weed, if not tangentially.

‘Ah, I wish I could partake in those type of activities too. But alas, as a serious business man that’s not an option. Can hardly show up high at the Australian border.’

Harry snorts at his feigned wistfulness, and Louis can’t help but feel a bit pleased at having been the one to cause his nose to scrunch up. He hasn’t made a move yet to buy a train ticket, though, and while Louis knows that he shouldn’t have presumed Harry was going to join him – he was definitely hoping for it.

‘Are you staying at the airport? Or coming along? I wouldn’t mind, you know. Otherwise we should probably exchange phone numbers or something so we could meet up afterwards and you can collect your backpack before our flight,’ he rambles instead, firing questions and statements at Harry in rapid succession.

He doesn’t seem perturbed by Louis’ inquiries though, just smiles beatifically as if he’s enjoying the sun shining down on him and is feeling comfortably warmed because of it. “I wasn’t sure whether or not you’d still want me to come along, or if you were just being polite for the sake of it.”

Louis places a hand on Harry’s arm, and gives him a little reassuring squeeze which coincidentally provides him with a great opportunity to feel how firm his biceps is. An image of a sweaty Harry working out swiftly enters his mind, but he wills it away as he starts talking.

‘I wouldn’t have brought it up if I didn’t want you to join, God’s honest truth. Please don’t feel obliged, though.’

Harry snorts at that, then sends Louis a bright smile. “Then I’d love to come with you. I’ve always thought it’d be a really cool thing to go and see.”

He tries to hide his satisfied grin from breaking out, calming himself as he nods instead and lets go of Harry’s arm.

‘Great. You’ll have to tell me about it when we’re in the train, I’ve got no idea what it is we’re actually going to see. Is it just miniature buildings? Like a maquette?’

Harry grins at Louis’ questions. “You didn’t read the leaflet the ground stewardess gave you, did you?”

‘Not a single word’.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The Hague, Netherlands

When they arrive, Louis is far from impressed by the entrance. It’s a bit dated, and well – it looks rather small. Even though he’s sure he’ll enjoy his company, he’s not so sure he’s actually going to enjoy the park itself.

‘It’s not… very big, is it?’

“Well, it _is_ a miniature park,” Harry retorts, then hands over their tickets to a nice lady who scans them before letting Louis and Harry pass through. Louis lingers inside the entrance building a bit, he can’t help but observe the structure – it’s a habit he picked up in university that he probably won’t ever get rid of.

Louis doesn’t really know anything about Dutch architecture, but he’s impressed by the way that the entrance building is completely submerged into the dike’s structure. He’s pretty sure Harry has wandered outside already, but Louis is happy reading just a bit more on how the park came to be and its namesake.

‘Hey Harold, did you know that the Netherlands still has some Caribbean isla-whoa,’ Louis interrupts himself as he walks to where Harry’s loitering around outside, taking in the view of the park.

It’s beautiful. All sorts of defining landmarks are built to scale – ranging from bridges and ships to government buildings and traditional windmills. There are little dolls populating the miniature squares and roads, some cars and trucks driving down the street – even a huge cruise ship is making its way along the built-to-scale Rhine.

“Not that small at all, is it?” Harry mimics his own words back to him, but Louis really doesn’t care for the sass.

He shakes his head, lets himself really take it all in as he tries to decide where he wants to go first. As if Harry can read his mind, he silently offers him a map of the area. It also highlights the special exhibitions that are available, but all Louis can think about is wanting to look at some of these landmarks up close.

‘So now is probably the right time to tell you I’m an architect and this comes really close to nirvana.’

To Louis’ confusion, his statement makes Harry look away with flushed cheeks.

“I might’ve overheard that you’re an architect. When we were stuck at the lounge? The Dutch lady was asking you what your interests were.”

Louis gasps dramatically at Harry’s confession, then pokes his side. ‘You were listening in!’

“Not on purpose!” Harry protests, but it only makes Louis laugh. ‘It’s okay, love. I do quite like attention, especially from nice men.’

It slips out before he’s even realized it, and he’s ready to apologise for how uncalled that comment was – but Harry beats him to it.

“Good, because I quite like _giving_ attention to pretty men.”

 

It’s rather reassuring to have Harry make the first move and openly flirt with him, because moments ago Louis was having a small freak-out about whether or not Harry would turn out to be a homophobic dick, or would just be embarrassed about the one-sided attraction.

The scenario he’s in though, is far from embarrassing. In fact, it’s pretty perfect – despite the delayed flight. Because well, Louis loves flirting. If someone were to ask him what he enjoys most about relationships, it’s probably the initial process of wooing someone. He likes to show his partner that he appreciates them, that he finds them attractive and hot, that he wants to get to know them better. He likes to push the limits a bit, discover what the other person is into, and just show them that he cares.

So he smiles up at Harry, and sidles up just a tad closer so they’re touching arms as he holds out the map for the both of them.

‘Any preferences? Given that you wanted to visit and all? I already know I’m going to like everything, so I don’t mind where we start.’

Harry shrugs in response, shoulder brushing Louis’, before pointing at a dike guard station close to where they’re standing.

“We could go over there? I like the ones where you can, like, participate.”

 

Activities. Louis should’ve known. Harry is going backpacking through fucking Australia, after all. He nods his head in acquiescence and starts his path towards the station. Louis can’t help himself, though, and after just three steps in the right direction he’s crouching to get a better look at the buildings first.

It’s some sort of Gothic town hall, he supposes, and he can’t help but snort at the assortment of small women and men who have been planted on the miniature streets that surround the building. He’d kind of like to take one of those little figurines home as a souvenir – he wonders if they offer that type of merchandise.

When Louis is done analysing and admiring the true-to-scale miniature, he stands up again and turns around, only to find Harry quickly looking away from his bum. Well. He’s glad he wore his fitted jeans today.

The dike guard station is fun, and even in its simplicity quite educational about the engineering of the huge flood defence system. It’s rather sobering to see how dependent the Dutch are on their structures to repel water, or there’d hardly be any Holland left.

“Are you any good at swimming? I’m suddenly feeling quite glad my parents got me lessons when I was younger,” Harry muses, as they continue down the path they’re on, occasionally stopping at buildings for Louis to admire.

‘I’m alright. Used to go to France on holidays with my mum and sisters. When the youngest twins were born I thought myself ‘too old’ to come along. I regret that now.’

“I used to holiday in France too, Cote d’Azur.  I’m the youngest of two so we stopped going once my sister turned 18 and deemed family holidays boring and immature. Guess it’s a phase.”

Louis’ glad Harry doesn’t focus on what Louis has let slip on his family. As much as he likes Harry, the reality of the matter is that they haven’t known each other for more than two hours – and Louis’ family deserves more than just two hours.

‘Definitely a phase. Didn’t last that long though, for me. Went off to uni, studied architecture and moved abroad for a term. Never felt more homesick in my life,’ Louis regales.

“Guess I’m a late bloomer in wanting to get out of England, in that respect. Never went abroad for my studies.”

‘I’m sure backpacking through Australia will make up for it. Definitely not as exciting as studying in Switzerland for a couple of months.’

 

Harry’s eyes widen a bit at that, stopping the two of them from walking any further as he turns to Louis fully. “You studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology?”

He gives a confused grin, nodding. ‘Yeah, I did. Just for a term though. Why? You interested in studying there?’

Louis curses himself silently for not asking earlier what it is Harry does in life, aside from deciding to backpack. He wants to know what brought him to make that decision anyways, but he also doesn’t want to pry. His friends sometimes tell him off for being too nosy, and he doesn’t want to ruin this day just because he couldn’t control his own curiosity.

“An old friend of mine went there as well! I know it’s a big institute, but maybe you were there around the same time? His name’s Liam, Liam Payne?”

‘No fucking way. Yeah! I know Liam. He’s babysitting my new plants while I’m gone, actually,’ Louis says, astonished.

 

He’d met Liam back at Bartlett, but hadn’t really gotten off on the right foot with him. Liam was a bit too uptight for him, and in Louis’ attempts to loosen him up, he’d actually managed to piss Liam off even more. It took them a while to find their groove, but when Louis had to retake a class he’d missed out on due to him going abroad, he’d gotten paired up with Liam and they’d magically clicked just like that. Then Liam had applied for the same abroad track based off of Louis’ experiences, and they’d stayed in touch even after Louis had graduated while Liam was still finishing up another year of his graduate’s degree.

“Oh! What kind of plants do you have? I’m a plant biologist. I work at Kew Gardens,” Harry asks excitedly.

He can’t help but grin back warmly at the childlike, reckless enthusiasm that pours out of Harry with every word he speaks. It means he’s passionate about what he does – which also happens to be one of the most attractive features a man can have in Louis’ opinion.  

‘I’ve got some violets, peace lilies, a calathea and my sister got me an aloe vera plant last week. Supposed to have all these useful qualities, right? Not sure I’ll have to use it, I usually tan quite nicely without getting sunburnt, but she insisted,’ he shrugs.

Harry nods along at Louis’ words. “You’ve got good skin. But aloe vera has multiple purposes, it’s not just great against sunburn. Also, if you ever want to graduate to more – well, let’s say ‘difficult’ plants, let me know. I could give you some advice, if you’d like.”

‘Ha, thanks love, but I’m honestly quite rubbish with plants. It’s a miracle these ones have survived so far, I think this level of plant caretaker is just right for me,’ Louis pauses, then turns to look over at the structure they’re in front of.

‘Did you notice that even the trees and flowers are real miniature-sized? Look!’ He points at a building that is surrounded by all sorts of miniature flowers. Louis supposes it’s meant to reflect the Dutch horticulture excellence, and he’s right in assuming that’s right up Harry’s alley. He skips over to the centrepiece of the installation, where people are able to emulate a big flower auction.

It’s not as interesting as the bridge, though, so they move on rather quickly. They talk a lot, about work, about their life back in the UK, about their friends, about Liam – all while Louis keeps being amazed by the varying landmarks and architecture represented in the park.

 

When they’re halfway through the route, he can’t help but turn to Harry and ask him whether or not he’s bored. The initial leaflet had said that Madurodam showed you the Netherlands in "less than an hour". Louis is _definitely_ taking more than an hour. He’s whipped his phone out on more than one occasion to photograph the sites. They’re standing in front of the replica of the governmental buildings, with a great sight onto the most famous windmills of the Netherlands, when he brings it up.

“If you need me to hurry up, I can – it’s really not an issue, please just tell me?”

He knows he has a tendency to get all-consumed by things that interest him, and not everyone appreciates it as much. Harry frowns, however, at Louis’ attempt to be considerate.

‘No! I’m having a great time, and you’re clearly enjoying the park. I’m just glad that you’re having fun. This could’ve turned out horrible, you know? Like a really bad blind date that you know you’re stuck with for at least a few more hours.’

And well, he’s kind of right, Louis thinks to himself, ignoring the small tingle traveling up his body at the mentioning of the word ‘date’ by Harry. Yes they’ve made some flirty comments, but that doesn’t mean anything. He could be straight. Or maybe not-straight but still just mean it in a friendly way. Maybe it’s all in Louis’ head.

“I once went on a date with a guy that turned out to be horribly classist, and racist to boot. It was horrible, couldn’t get out of the restaurant fast enough,” he supplies. There’s nothing wrong with dropping some subtle hints that he’s gay.

To his credit, Harry doesn’t really respond to Louis’ revelation, just makes a sympathetic face as if he knows all about dating the wrong type of guys.

'I once went out with someone who thought it'd be fun to take me on this trip to a carnival, which was just disastrous all around. I'm afraid of roller coasters, and they insisted on trying every single one of them anyways. And when I had to puke after having been in one, he just left me on a bench nearby and went back to the ride by himself. He was going to drive me home, but I ended up calling an Uber and getting myself home - I was so annoyed. It was also my first male on male dating experience, so that wasn't the big revelation I'd been hoping for,' Harry supplies with a sour grin, and it makes Louis wince.

His first date with a man had actually developed into him having his first boyfriend - who had been lovely, just not very faithful. And it just so happened to be that Louis valued loyalty very highly.

"That sounds awful, and very inconsiderate. I can imagine being disappointed after that, definitely."

Harry shrugs it off, smile turning into something a bit more cheeky. 'It's alright. I hooked up with his best friend at a party a week later, and that definitely did confirm things for me. He was a great kisser. Tasted like sweet revenge.'

Louis laughs at that, and is about to respond with a story about his own actual first kiss, when Harry grabs onto his arm and starts dragging him towards a little sidestep that Louis had missed completely.

'I'm sorry, but I really have to get some clogs from here. I've read about this! It's a toy factory and if you put money in it, the toy factory will produce a pair of miniature clogs that you can take home as a souvenir!'

Harry is obviously very excited about this prospect, and while Louis can appreciate the engineering that has gone into making this work for tourists, he doesn't feel very strongly about clogs. In fact, he thinks they're rather misshapen, or just plain ugly and well - it's not like he's seen any Dutch person actually wear them. They're not something he'd be proud of taking home with him.

 

For a second he considers buying one pair to send to his sisters for laughs, but he's hopeful he'll find something else that he actually likes later on. If not, he's planning on sending them a card anyways - they're very into old-fashioned letters these days. Phoebe has sent him  number of handwritten postcards from Doncaster, and Louis secretly loves it. Sometimes they're just a collection of superficial statements scribbled on a ripped out notebook piece of paper, but other times she writes down her deepest secrets that she wouldn't normally share over the phone, afraid of being overheard by her siblings.

It makes him feel special that she trusts him enough to share, and he couldn't be more prouder of her  - and their other siblings, for that matter.

He watches on as Harry pays, and indeed a loud noise starts up, signalling the clogs are being made inside the factory. A small giggle escapes him as the clogs appear and fall into a miniature truck that casually drives itself over to where Harry is waiting on a small platform vantage point. He wonders briefly how many miniature clogs are bought this way each day, and how they can possibly fit enough of them into the toy factory, but becomes distracted when he sees the look of pure elation on Harry's face as he picks up his new pair of clogs.

'Look! They're so ugly and cute at the same time,' Harry says excitedly, dangling the clogs in front of Louis.

"They're not cute. Just ugly."

Harry shoots him a dirty, offended look as he coos over the clogs before putting them in his pocket carefully.

'For someone who works in the arts, you have no idea at all,' he huffs, making Louis laugh.

"Well, I guess that's because the overlarge part of architecture is about pragmatism, structural design, engineering and spatial planning. Design and art is the bonus, not the priority. Also, my style isn't kitschy."

Another gasp escapes Harry, who is shaking his head at Louis. 'Kitschy stuff is amazing. I live for it.'

Louis shudders dramatically, then winks. "All the more clogs for you, then."

They continue to walk around, Louis pointing out stuff that he finds interesting about the construction, Harry smiling at his enthusiasm and asking questions about the style. It's comfortable, and nice, and it feels like they've hung out a million times before this - the way they're in sync when they walk, talk and move around the place. Apparently it's noticeable for the people around them too. It's gotten decisively busier since they arrived, and it's when they're standing in front of the famous Cube Houses - Louis admiring the build of them and the colour scheme, that someone asks their attention.

'Excuse me? I was wondering if you could take a photo of us with the Dom in the background?' The woman motions to herself and her friend, as they position themselves in front of a huge tower. The tower must be enormous in reality, because even the scaled down version looks to be about twice Louis' size at least.

"Yeah of course, no problem," he hears Harry respond, who's already taken the phone from the woman's hands and starts taking a bunch of shots. "There are some in portrait mode, and I got some vertical and horizontal ones," Harry says as he hands the phone over, the woman smiling back at him gratefully.

'That's wonderful, thank you so much, I love them! I could take some photos of you and your partner as well if you'd like?'

Louis stammers for a second as she looks back and forth from Harry to him, hand outstretched expectantly, before he just nods and hands over his phone. She seems so elated, he doesn't have it in him to correct her assumption about them. Besides, noone needs to know how her labeling them romantic partners is giving him butterflies and is probably the reason why his cheeks feel a little warmer too.

"Thank you so much," he tells the two women before they walk away hand in hand.

'Guess I'll have to get your number now so you can send me that picture, ' Harry muses, and Louis finds himself grinning once more.

"Guess you do."

 

Once they've seen all the miniature houses, they take a break to have something to eat and drink at the pavilion. There are some special exhibitions they could still check out, and Louis is really set on having a go at the DJ gear - including actual turntables - that's part of the "Netherlands as an inspiration to the world" section of the park. So far, he's been most impressed by the other two parts of the park; 'water - enemy and friend' and 'historical cities'. He supposes it makes sense, given his career background, but they've also genuinely been a lot of fun. He's enjoyed both the landmarks themselves, as well as the way they've taken great care to include a very diverse miniature population.

He knows Harry has definitely enjoyed all the interactive set-ups so far, which has gotten him excited for the special exhibitions as well - especially the football one. Johan Cruyff is an icon, as far as Louis is concerned and he can't wait to see how they've incorporated him into the exhibition.

'Let's head over to the Fantasitron - the one where you can make your own figurines,' Harry speaks up after finishing his cup of coffee. Louis prefers tea, if he's honest, but after having had the Dutch version of it he reckons maybe coffee would've been the safer option. 'It's not as crowded now, so it won't take too long for us to get ours.'

Luckily, Harry is right and the line isn't very long - before they know it, they're standing in front of the camera.

"Are you sure you're alright with going in together? We could've just gone separately, it really wouldn't have mattered to me," Louis presses, as he chances a look back at Harry. Who is apparently trying to fix his hair, since all Louis can see is a bunch of brown curls, rather than Harry's eyes.

'Yeah, it's fine! It'll be a cool reminder of how we spent the day together, yeah? A chance meeting.' Harry assures him with a grin, as he gathers some locks together and twists them into a half-bun. Louis' seen his sisters do it a bunch of times - helped them out a fair few of those times too, as big brothers should - and when he registers the look of frustration on Harry's face, he almost offers to do it for him. But he has to admit to himself that he quite likes the long hair all loose and wavy. It makes Harry look both sweet and rockstar-esque.

Louis looks back at their reflection on the screen and also quickly shakes out his fringe, then styles it back in place with practiced ease. When he finally deems himself photo-op worthy, he smiles at Harry.

"Ready then?"

Harry nods, so Louis presses the button and a flash goes off. Once the photo loads, he can't help but feel the butterflies return once more. They look comfortable. Cozy. Intimate. It's weird, because Louis has posed with his friends a bunch of times, arms slung over each other and it's always looked normal to him. Somehow though, when he looks at him and Harry - they don't look like friends. They look like lovers, and the strangest part of it all, is that it feels... right to Louis. He just hopes that it isn't all his head. They've flirted, he knows Harry is single - knows Harry has dated men in the past, but a one-day trip to a theme park when they started out as strangers on said day isn't really the right time to make a move.

At least he'll have a wonderful story to tell, and maybe Harry and him will stay in touch after all this.

Maybe right now just isn't their time.

 

'Oh,' Harry's surprised voice calls him back to reality and out of his own head. 'They won't be done today. They mail them to you. I thought they'd just print them out right here.'

The disappointment is evident in his voice, and honestly, Louis is kind of disappointed too. He'd wanted to see the figurines right away - have a look at how well the face-recognition 3D printing technique works.

"They mail them out though," Louis says out loud as he reads the screen. He also immediately realises how that's a problem for Harry, who quite probably won't have a set address for the next couple of months.

'Do you think - could you just print one and then mail it to your house? You could just send me a photo of how they look later.'

"I, yeah, that's fine," Louis says, and starts typing out his info on the screen, then pauses. "Are you sure you don't want to take another one and just, send it to your mum's or something?"

Harry laughs, but shakes his head. 'No it's fine. And I could always, if you'd like that, maybe, come back after I've finished travelling - come see them in person? We could co-parent it. That is, if you don't think that's stupid, of course.'

Louis stops what he's doing so he can look up and quickly reach out to squeeze Harry's hand. "No. Not stupid. I'd like that. A lot."

When he goes to let go, Harry won't let him. They walk out of the Fantasitron holding hands still, and Louis feels incredibly giddy.

There isn't much left to do in the park for them now - only the football exhibition. Even though he's excited to see it, it also makes him realise once again that the feeling of walking hand in hand with Harry won't last very long. Soon they'll be back at the airport, have dinner, sleep - and then they'll be on their way to Australia. He's not sure what he should expect to come out of all this. Even if Harry's said he wants to stay in touch, realistically there's not much to go on here, much less build a romantic relationship off of.

Still, he’s adamant to make the most of it while it lasts. So he grins and wiggles his eyebrows at Harry as they run through the re-imagined catacombs that the ’88 Dutch team ran through onto a small indoor football field, and challenges Harry to a match of footie. It’s funny, Harry obviously knows his stuff about the game, but he is very much terrible at the practical execution. Louis beats him 5 nil in about 10 minutes, after which it becomes apparent that Harry is a very sore loser, so he lets him have a goal.

“You didn’t just let me win that one on purpose, did you?” Harry wonders, glaring in Louis’ direction, who just flutters his eyelashes innocently and crosses his fingers behind his back as he shakes his head.

‘I would never.’

Harry narrows his eyes at him for a beat or two, then positively beams and pumps his fists in the air to celebrate his goal.

 

They keep at it – with Louis absolutely wiping the floor with Harry, if not for a few pity goals he lets Harry have, until a group of kids loudly enter the field. It reminds Louis that they’re not actually all alone in their own bubble. He doesn't mind the intrusion all that much though. 

He winks at Harry, then grins in the direction of the kids before challenging them to a match. When he finds himself cheering on one of the girls who’d been a little shy at the start but is evidently actually quite good at football, he looks over and spots a soft smile lingering on Harry’s features. Louis is sure his face was looking the same way just mere minutes ago when Harry pretended to be even worse than he actually was, just to make some of the kids laugh at his dramatic pleas to ‘leave him behind’.

 _Do not think about the fact that he’s good with kids_ , Louis chides himself quietly, even though he knows it’s already too late.

The thought invades his mind just mere seconds later. God, he’s good with kids. He wonders briefly how – Harry had only ever mentioned one older sister. Does he have nieces or nephews? Or friends who already have kids? He desperately needs to know the answers to those questions and more.

But he’s running out of time  He chances a look at his watch, only to see that it’s approaching the evening hours already. In fact, Louis comes to the startling realization that he’s perhaps a little bit hungry when his stomach rumbles quietly.

He’s about to ask Harry if he’s ready to take his losses and head back towards the airport, when a lady comes to interrupt their game. She informs the children that it’s time to head back as their school trip is over, and doesn’t leave until she’s personally seen to it that all of the kids exit the exhibition. She then turns and thanks both Harry and Louis for entertaining the children.

‘It’s fine, I love children, they were great’ Harry replies. Somehow, hearing him say those words is even worse than witnessing it. It’s just not fair that by complete accident he’s stumbled onto the perfect guy, and he’s going _away_.

Like two ships passing in the night, sharing the same view of the sky only for a few moments. He feels the overwhelming urge to both scream at the universe and kiss Harry square on the lips.

Neither is an actual option at the moment, so instead he just smiles at the ground, trying to hide the feelings that are threatening to swallow him whole.

‘So – ready to go, mister Cruyff-reincarnated?’ Harry jokes, slinging his arm around Louis’ shoulders good-naturedly.

It gives him the perfect excuse to wrap his own arm around Harry’s waist, squeezing the soft part right above his hipbone. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Once outside, they can’t help but have a final giggle over the dike with holes in it that’s right next to the Madurodam entrance. It’s supposed to tell the story of local hero Hansje Brinker, who saved the Netherlands from another flood by plugging the dike with his index finger. Harry and Louis agree with matching dirty grins they’d both be experts at the job, if it were to happen again. They each take turns stopping the water from oozing out of the hole while the other one snaps a few pictures.

It’s when they’re seated in the train that Harry finally asks for Louis’ phone so he can put his number in. “I’ll send you the photos we took later,” Louis promises. The WiFi isn’t all that great here, which would normally make him anxious. He hates not being reachable, it makes him feel disconnected – even if it’s just for a few moments. But right now, he’s happy just enjoying the train ride with Harry, as they whisper made up stories about the other people in the carriage to each other.

Louis is officially in far too deep after spending not even one full day with Harry. Whose last name he doesn’t even know. He’d feel foolish asking for it now, after so much time has passed. Maybe he’ll be able to figure it out later without having to outright ask for it, he hopes. Or maybe Harry will ask Louis first? Even though chances are he’d heard one of the stewards address him in the lounge already, and therefore he doesn’t _have_ to ask Louis.

‘You still there?’ Harry says with a small smile, making him zone back in again. Right. He should stay in the moment. Enjoy it while it lasts. So he does.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Amsterdam, Netherlands

They’re standing in front of Louis’ hotel room, where Harry’s backpack is located. He’s not quite sure what to do, isn’t really sure what Harry expects, or even what he himself expects to happen now. His blue eyes frantically search out Harry’s green ones for clues, but all he sees is the same swirl of desperation and confusion staring back at him.

‘You said you were hungry, right?’ Harry blurts out suddenly.

“Yes – yes, very hungry.” Louis grins back, then turns around to swiftly walk back towards the elevator.

The air around them feels both lighter and heavier as they descend – filled with both relief and newfound tension. Glad they get to have some more time together, but also with this increased need to start figuring out what comes _after_.

Louis has no clue.

It’s obvious they should discuss the elephant in the room, when they sit down in the restaurant area of the hotel without having said one word to one another.

‘Thank you,’ is all that Harry mumbles as they’re given their menus. The waiter lingers and smiles furtively just as Louis looks up to figure out what the hold up is.

“Anything else I can do for you, sirs?” The waiter asks him eagerly, to which Louis looks over again at Harry.

‘D’you want to order something to drink? Glass of wine, maybe?’ The back of his mind screams _date, date, date_ as he addressed Harry, and for once he finds himself agreeing with his sub-conscience.

If he never sees Harry again after this, he might as well go out with a bang.

Harry smiles at Louis’ suggestion, but shakes his head with a flush to his cheeks. And _oh_ , suddenly Louis understands. He’d mentioned before that he wasn’t too keen on spending that much money. Which is fine. Louis is a gentleman, and they _are_ on a date - even if Harry doesn’t know it yet.

‘It’s okay, order whatever. This’ll be on me.’

The waiter’s smile dims a tad, but Harry’s smile widens and he immediately selects a glass of red.

The moment the waiter’s gone, Harry’s feet knock into Louis’ under the table, a cheeky grin on his face. “Are you wining and dining me, then?”

‘Honestly, I’m not sure what we’re doing. I just feel this – this connection with you. And I know that when we were just outside my room, I was feeling incredibly disappointed at the prospect of having to let you go already. So if some wining and dining buys me some more time with you, then yes,’ Louis says.

“I like being wined and dined. I also quite enjoy doing the wining and dining. I’m quite good at cooking myself. Like to use that skill to impress pretty boys like yourself,” Harry replies, grin still present, never wavering.

‘Consider this pretty boy impressed at just the idea of you cooking. I’d like that, you know?’

It’s quiet then, as if they both suddenly realize the weight of Louis’ words. That he feels that whatever it is they’re doing deserves a future beyond just this one happenstance of a moment.

“I’d like that too,” Harry replies quietly. His dimples are barely visible, but the smile feels all the more intimate, and encouraging somehow.

‘I’d like to know everything about you. All the big things, like where you work, what your family is like, what your dreams and aspirations are in life, whether you would want to marry or have children one day. But also all the small things. The way you smile at things you find really funny, or when you’re hiding your excitement. What makes you cry, be it good, happy tears, or things that make you sad. I want to know if you snore or snuffle at night, if you’re a heavy or light sleeper, if you’re quiet or fussy. Whether that nose scrunch you do is deliberate or not. If you spend your weekends lazying about or getting up to partake in all sorts of activities. If you like cats or dogs, and the big deal breaker – are you a mummy’s boy or not. All of that. ’

Louis’ words keep on tumbling out of his mouth, and all he can do is hope that Harry will find it endearing rather than off-putting.

Harry’s quiet, and for a second Louis is worried he’s mucked it all up by being too honest. Harry isn’t even looking at him, seems to focus on something behind Louis instead. He’s about to turn and see what’s got Harry distracted, when he hears their waiter approaching with two glasses of wine, asking if they’ve been able to choose yet.

They’ve hardly even looked at the menu. “We’re going to need another minute or so,” Harry says politely, then fixes his gaze on Louis. His eyes are sparkling with amusement, and one of his dimples is showing – making Louis instantly feel better.

“I’m definitely a mummy’s boy. Call her at least twice a week. I love both cats and dogs, but I guess having grown up with cats I’m more partial to them. I don’t know what nose scrunch you’re talking about, I’ve been told I snore occasionally by my sister so I’m not sure whether I believe her or not, and yeah, one day I’d love to have a family of my own.” He pauses then, the small smile that had made its way to the surface slowly disappearing again.

“And I want to find out all the answers to those same questions from you too. But one of those big things is going to make this – whatever it is we decide this is – very complicated. You obviously know I’m going to backpack through Australia. I won’t be back for a while.”

A self-deprecating huff escapes Harry’s lips. “It’s funny, because I pushed myself to do this and now I’m regretting that _so_ much.”

Louis immediately shakes his head. ‘If you hadn’t been on that plane, though, we wouldn’t even have met. Besides, it’s not just you? I’m going to be in Australia for a couple weeks too.’

Harry fixes him with a glare, and yeah, Louis kind of gets that it’s not the same. It feels like what they’re doing is pointless, or hopeless in a sense. There’s so much that could happen in the time that Harry’s going to be gone, and they don’t even know each other that well. It’d be absolutely senseless to ask either of them to hold onto this one day until Harry gets back so they could maybe see where things go.

 

Before they can get further into it, the waiter appears again and asks if maybe they’d like some recommendations if they’re still unsure. Louis just wants to get back to talking to Harry, so he casts a cursory glance at the menu and orders the first thing that sounds remotely edible to him. The waiter compliments his choice for gnocchi, then takes Harry’s order of salmon before leaving them alone once more.

 “We should’ve ordered room service,” Harry says dryly, eliciting a laugh from Louis. Maybe they should’ve.

They’re quiet for a bit, both of them probably trying to come up with something to talk about that doesn’t make what they’re doing seem like a dead-end. In the end, it’s Louis’ curiosity that makes him clear his throat.

‘So, how long exactly are you planning to stay, then?’

Harry seemed to hesitate before answering his question, eyes flitting across the room instead of focusing on Louis like they’d done earlier. “Ehm – I’ve got a visa for six months.”

It shouldn’t bring a pang of disappointment to Louis’ chest, but it does. Six months is half a year. A lot can happen in that time.

‘Okay. Hm. Can I ask what brought you to decide on going away for so long? I can’t imagine missing my family for six months on end,’ he questions. It’s true. Even now he finds himself more often than not making the drive back home so he can see his siblings face to face.

Harry fidgets a bit, but nods – smiling bashfully as he registers that Louis’ foot has hooked around his ankle in reassurance. It shouldn’t feel right to play footsie when they’ve only known each other for half a day, but somehow Louis can’t be bothered to care. He’ll take whatever minute he can get right now.

“Yeah, it’s just… Last year, I was dating someone, and I thought that it would be the person I’d settle down with. I had a job I was comfortable with, we had an apartment together, and everything was just – well, just that. Okay. And then one day my sister asks me to come over, and she tells me she’s getting married to her boyfriend Mychal and, don’t get me wrong – I am extremely happy for her – but I just felt empty. Like, my life was dragging on and I was settling for comfort, and I realized that’s not what I wanted. So I decided I needed to make some changes and get excitement back in my life again. Broke up with my boyfriend, moved out of our apartment, and took up photography as a hobby. I like my job, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know if it’s really what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. Which is why I’m taking a short break. Sabbatical, if you will.”

Harry flushes once he stops speaking, and Louis just wants to put his hand on his red cheeks to cool him down and make him feel safe.

Because he shouldn’t feel embarrassed about any of it. Louis’ quite sure _everyone_ has had or will have that moment where they suddenly feel like they’re drowning in the life and expectations they’ve created for themselves and don’t know exactly where to go from there.

‘I took a gap year after my bachelor. Had no clue what direction I wanted to go in, felt horrible about the idea of potentially having thrown away all that money for a degree I wasn’t 100% happy with. It took me some time to figure myself out, and a traineeship to commit to architectural design. So, I get it. You’re young, you don’t need to know all the answers. And you should _definitely_ never settle.’

Louis’ final sentence brings a relieved smile to Harry’s face, which causes Louis’ stomach to swoop.

He's far too deep in already, but it's also far too late to stop himself now.

 

They switch to some lighter topics then, talk about what they’re planning to do when they’re in Australia, how well they think they’ll cope on the long flight, and what they think of the hotel’s restaurant so far. It’s easy, and it feels like a proper date where they will just see each other again in a week or so to catch up even more.

Louis knows, realistically, that chances are small they’ll keep in touch for the six months Harry’s gone. And yet, he’s determined to just make the most of it now. Maybe the timing isn’t right. But sometimes you just don’t get another try, maybe he -they- won’t get more time than one day. And that is awful to think about, because if he’s being entirely honest, he’s shared and felt way more with Harry than he’s done in any first date. So he’s adamant he won’t make this feel … final. Because it doesn’t deserve to be.

As a result, he tries to make Harry laugh and smile throughout dinner as much as he can. They end up sharing dessert – Louis ordering a crème brulée and Harry a chocolate mousse that he later complains about as they make their way back to Louis’ suite, saying he could’ve done a much better job. Louis mentions he’d like to try his sometime, and that brings them right back to reality. A reality where ‘sometime’ is at least 6 months, if not longer, or even forever away.

They stay quiet on the elevator ride up, fingers brushing against one another, but neither daring to make the move this time around. It’s awkward, and it bugs Louis, because throughout the day it’d never, not once felt awkward between the two of them.

Harry lingers once they’re inside. Louis tries to catch his gaze, but Harry’s determinedly staring at his own shoes, it seems. It makes Louis let out a frustrated sigh, before shaking his head. Maybe this really is all it was meant to be, a nice day spent together that kept balancing on the will they/won’t they tightrope – never teetering over.

He knows it’s ridiculous to be upset, they haven’t even kissed – only held hands for a while there. He doesn’t have any right to feel as deeply as he does about the situation, to have this deep-seated emotion of unfairness and loss.

“I had a really nice time today, Louis,” Harry breaks Louis out of his own reverie, even though his eyes keep avoiding Louis’ own blue ones. “Thank you for that. Kinda wish it didn’t have to end.”

He lets out an embarrassed little grin, and Louis can’t help himself when his hand reaches out to encircle Harry’s wrist.

‘It doesn’t have to? I’ve got a minibar. Stay for another drink?’ He knows he sounds pleading, but Louis doesn’t really care. He just wants to have another minute, second with Harry.

Apparently, he’s not alone in his thoughts, as for the first time since they’ve left the restaurant, Harry’s green eyes shoot up to meet blue. “I’d love to,” he whispers, “but first I have to do this.”

And suddenly Louis feels soft lips press against his own. Harry is kissing him and Louis hasn’t even closed his eyes, too shocked to process what’s going on to respond properly. It’s no surprise then that Harry pulls away after a couple of seconds and starts apologizing profusely for overstepping and misinterpreting things, but all Louis  can do is laugh at that.

‘Stop talking, just –‘ he leans in, standing on his tip-toes so he can properly reach and place his hand at the back of Harry’s head to pull him in closer, ‘just stop talking, and kiss me instead.’

He melts into it this time around, deepening the kiss quickly as he allows Harry’s tongue to slip into his own mouth. The desperate tension that has been surrounding them seemingly all day finally seems to be washed away by them giving into it.

 

Harry’s hand dips lower, before firmly gripping onto Louis’ cheek in an attempt to pull him even closer to his own body. It makes Louis let out a muffled moan against Harry’s lips. He’s not the only one though, Louis’ fingers dancing up and down Harry’s neck seem to draw similar noises from him, eventually forcing Louis to pull away so he can grin properly at Harry’s cat-like behaviour.

It allows the both of them to take a deep breath, as they realise what it is they’re actually doing. Neither of them can stop smiling though, sparkling eyes focused on just each other.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you all day,” Harry confesses, one hand still on Louis’ bum while the other one caresses his cheekbone.

Louis grins, heart beating fast in his chest. He moves to still Harry’s hand as he presses a kiss to his palm. ‘Noticed you the moment you set foot on the plane.’

The comment makes Harry’s cheeks flush, eyes moving away again for a second before they settle on flickering between watching Louis’ expression and his lips. Louis can’t help but want to keep the rosy hue on Harry’s face forever. It makes him look angelic.

“Already spotted you at the airport lounge, was hoping maybe I’d get lucky and get seated next to you, but then you queued for business class. Thought that’d be the end of it,” Harry confesses in return, which only serves to spur Louis on even more in his quest of discovering every single thing about the man in front of him.

He surges forward to connect their lips once more, before trailing a path down Harry’s neck. Harry disentangles his hand from Louis’ own and gasps as Louis starts sucking a bruise right at the pulse point.

“Can we – I don’t normally do this,” he pants out, which makes Louis pull away. They’re both breathing heavily, and it’s clear by Harry’s dilated pupils and clear bulge in his jeans that he’s just as aroused as Louis is.

It’s hot, is what it is, and he’s having a hard time looking away now that his eyes have zeroed in on the clear shape of Harry’s cock through the dark denim.

‘Me either,’ he manages to reply, shaking his head in emphasis. ‘Not much for one-night stands. More of a commitment man, myself.’

Harry lets out a groan at that, which is definitely not what Louis would’ve expected to hear. Usually men run for the hills as soon as you utter any sort of term that has to do with monogamy or serious relationships.

“God, you really are just fucking perfect, aren’t you? Can we please take this to the bed?” Harry pleads, and Louis is only slightly taken aback by his forwardness this time.

He nods immediately, then grins as Harry starts slowly pushing him, guiding him towards the bed while his lips reattach themselves to Louis’ jawline.

Louis tugs on the hem of Harry’s shirt, fingers trailing up to get a firm grip on Harry’s lower back muscles. He can feel the back of his legs hit the bed, so he quickly moves his other hand to pull the shirt upwards, exposing the stretched out planes of Harry’s soft, pale skin to him.

‘You’ve got 4 nipples,’ Louis states as soon as Harry’s shirt is off. He can’t help but reach out and touch, marvelling a the small extra circles on his chest. ‘You’ve got 4 bloody nipples,’ he repeats in awe, ‘that’s wonderful!’

He glances up at Harry’s face, and is greeted by a big smile. Louis kind of wants to change that, so he lets his hand ghost over the larger nubs once more, this time with a little bit more intent. He smirks when he sees the easy smile slipping off of Harry’s face. ‘Are they sensitive?’

“Ah, yeah, the normal ones are. The other two are just for show – Lou, _fuck_ ,” Harry says as Louis leans in for a kitten lick, then bites lightly before blowing on the now wet pebbled nub.

‘s pretty. You and your four nipples are just so goddamn pretty,’ he sighs almost wistfully. The world is an unfair place, gifting him Harry – but only for limited time.

“God, I wish you could fuck me, but we’d regret that on the airplane tomorrow,” Harry mutters so softly that Louis is quite sure he hadn’t even meant for Louis to overhear.

Still, he can’t help himself from commenting. ‘Slow down Romeo, I’ve still got all me clothes on.’

Harry honks out a laugh at that, but his hands immediately go to fiddle with the button of Louis’ jeans. With long fingers so close to his crotch, Louis needs a distraction from the heat he feels growing in his veins, so he throws himself into capturing Harry’s lips in a passionate, filthy kiss.

He doesn’t really expect Harry to lean into it with as much force as he does, so he ends up toppling backwards onto the bed, laughing loudly as he goes down with Harry all over him.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Harry mumbles into where he’s landed on Louis’ chest, “just – I want you so bad. Can’t quite believe you’d want me back. Could’ve had the steward, or the waiter from earlier.”

Louis’ giggles die down as Harry speaks, blue eyes searching green, then cradles Harry’s cheek in his hand.  ‘Wouldn’t. I wouldn’t. Only want you. Never fell this easy, this quick.’

Harry wavers for a second, seemingly searching for answers to unasked questions in Louis’ eyes, before he suddenly surges forward and captures his lips in a searing kiss once more. Harry’s hand slips underneath Louis’ shirt, pushing it up as far as he can without having to detach his mouth from Louis’.

His hand then strays from where it was positioned on Louis’ shoulder, instead dipping down to ghost over his still jeans-clad cock. It makes Louis let out an embarrassing moan at the pleasure from just some simple over-the-clothes rubbing.

“Can I take them off?”

‘God, yes, please,’ Louis gasps in reply, lifting his hips a little to help Harry in the process. Soon enough he’s in just his pants, Harry’s hand hovering over the waistband of his black Calvins. Just before he pulls them down, he looks back up at Louis.

‘What?’ Louis asks, pushing himself up on his elbows as he watches Harry suddenly move back and off the bed.

“Well, as much as I think you’re lovely and really hot, potentially contracting an STI is kind of a turn-off for me, _shit_ –“ Harry responds with his head hanging over his bag while his hands rummage around in one of the side compartments, dropping whatever he’d been holding back into the bag.

An irrational flare of jealousy courses through Louis at the idea of Harry having packed a bunch of condoms for his trip, but he manages to talk himself back down. It’s actually only very responsible, and well – if Louis were to go on a self-discovery trip through Australia, he’d also bring along some protection. Then again, if he’s being honest, he’d probably have forgotten to pack them and would’ve only bought them if he’d met someone there.

Apparently his silence is worrying to Harry, who’s now back on the bed holding a little see-through bag filled with lube and condoms, sporting an unsure little pout on his face.

“You’re not offended, right? Because we can also just keep it at mutual handies, but I was kind of looking forward to starting off my trip properly by sucking you off.”

The question makes Louis have to bite down on both a laugh and a moan that are threatening to escape him. ‘Offended at what? I happen to think protecting ourselves from STIs is _terribly_ romantic.’

Harry smiles back at him in triumph, then rushes to get Louis’ boxers off as well as his own. Just getting to see all of Harry’s naked skin makes arousal pool low in Louis’ belly. He’s gorgeous. Pale skin covered in tattoos, all long lines except for that cute little pudge at Harry’s hips – love handles, he thinks giddily to himself, perfect to grab a hold of. And he’s got a beautiful, wonderfully sized cock. It’s not like Louis isn’t a size queen but, well. He can appreciate a good cock when he sees one.

“Jesus,” he hears Harry breathe out, shaking him out of his own appreciation for Harry’s body to find Harry’s eyes are zeroed in on his chest tattoo, but keep flicking down to his crotch and then up.

‘Usually I get the jesus comments because of me bum. The chest piece is a new one,’ Louis remarks, and Harry just leans back in to shut him up with a kiss. One hand trails down to firmly squeeze Louis’ arse cheek, before using that grip as leverage to manoeuvre him further up the bed.

“You’re gorgeous, honestly – what the fuck?” Harry wonders out loud, to which Louis lets out a laugh and pulls on one of Harry’s strings of hair that’ve fallen in his face and are obscuring Louis’ view.

‘So are you babe, absolutely lush, _ah_.’

Louis is actually quite glad that Harry doesn’t spend much time stroking his cock before he rolls on the condom, because it immediately dulls the sensations – taking the edge off. Just the smallest of touches of Harry’s fingers ghosting over his cock have him feeling terribly, embarrassingly close to coming already.

His eyes flick over the wrapper and he can’t help but let out a strangled laugh as he sees what flavour Harry picked out. He’d tease him about it, maybe ask whether it truly tastes like banana or if it’s one of them artificial ones – but all words are stolen right out of his mouth as Harry takes a first experimental lick.

And yeah, he’s pretty sure this is what heaven feels like. He’s got wet, hot pink lips wrapped around his cock, green eyes staring up at him – cataloguing every single response he gives so he can adjust what he’s doing to Louis – and there is a hand massaging his bum. It’s wonderful.

A bit too wonderful, he finds as it doesn’t take him long at all to feel like he’s quickly hurtling towards the edge again. He tries to stop Harry, but all he does is pull off for a second to smile wickedly, then dives right back in with renewed vigour as his hand trails from Louis’ bum to stroke at his perineum lightly. It’s enough to make him jerk off the bed with his hips as he comes with a shout into the condom.

His first instinct is to check on whether or not the sudden movement hurt Harry or if he choked on – well, his cock or his come or maybe just his own spit (it happens) – but then he remembers that he’d been wearing a condom.

Also Harry is goofily smiling up at him, as it dawns on Louis that the moment he started coming, the man had switched out his mouth for his hands. One of them is still loosely wrapped around Louis’ softening cock, stroking the sensitive skin ever so lightly as if to caress it but not irritate it.

He’s normally a bit more impatient with his own wanks, so the aftercare is quite nice. It feels… intimate.

“Was that good?” Harry’s voice suddenly breaks through Louis’ hazy bubble of happiness. He nods quickly, then pulls him up by his arm so he can kiss him properly.

‘Hm, you do taste a little bit like banana now,’ he hums against his lips, making Harry giggle. It quickly transforms in a moan as Louis’ hand travels south and grazes Harry’s crotch, making his hips rut against Louis’ body.

‘So sensitive, are you close?’ Louis murmurs questioningly, eyes locking onto Harry’s so he can catalogue his facial expressions – see what he likes and doesn’t like. He pulls his hand back to lick it, ensuring the glide won’t be too uncomfortable for Harry once he gets to it.

His fingers wrap around Harry’s shaft loosely at first, stroking up and down just the once to identify all the soft and hard ridges. Harry shudders out a breath in response, so he tightens his hold a bit as he starts wanking him off for real.

“Just – keep going, ‘m gonna come soon,” Harry moans out, his own hand reaching to flick his nipple. Louis grins, then noses Harry’s neck as he leaves a trail of lovebites all over his sensitive skin. The flushed red colour that blooms up when he nips the skin contrasts beautifully with Harry’s natural pale state, and it’s clearly working for Harry too with the way he leans into the bites.

He feels a bead of precome escape Harry’s cock, and he immediately makes for swiping it up to ease the friction even more.

‘Ýou’re so beautiful, wish we’d have more time, darling,’ Louis can’t help but whisper into his ear as he nips at Harry’s earlobe. He wants to worship his body, trace all of Harry’s tattoos with his tongue and get to know it intimately – but he knows that tonight just isn’t the moment. And he realises that it’ll be better this way. To only give in a little, so it won’t hurt so much once it ends in the morning.

“Kiss me, Lou, _please_ , I- “ Harry pleads, hand firmly gripping Louis’ arm, and well – he’s not going to deny Harry or himself that pleasure, so he refocuses his attention on Harry’s lush lips.

It doesn’t take much longer for Harry to spill into Louis’ hand, just as Louis’ fingers start pressing up against his perineum and trailing up towards his hole. Just like Harry had done with him, he keeps jerking him until he can feel his cock soften and hears Harry hiss out of sensitivity.

‘I kind of want to see what you taste like, but that’s probably not a very smart thing to do,’ Louis muses out loud, making Harry groan and let his head fall onto Louis’ shoulder.

“Jesus, you’re going to be the death of me. If you haven’t already killed me with that stellar handjob.”

Louis can’t help but laugh at that, then extricates himself from Harry to go and clean up. He returns with two glasses of water that he’s taken from the bathroom. Apparently he’s taken closer than he initially thought in the bathroom, because when he re-enters the room he finds Harry fast asleep on the bed.

So Louis just smiles to himself, sets the glass of water on Harry’s bedside table and makes sure to cover him with a blanket. He slips under the covers and hesitates for a second, before snuggling right up next to Harry.

He’ll have to make do with that for the next half year, so he’ll take what he can get. Because one thing is certain for Louis – he isn’t going to be able to get Harry out of his head all that easily.

 

* * *

 

 

They get woken up by reception ringing the room, and suddenly their imminent separation feels all too close for comfort. It’s a bit awkward as they skittishly get dressed and take turns using the bathroom, before packing up their stuff and making their way downstairs. There’s a breakfast buffet and while it’s technically only reserved for Louis, no one seems to be too bothered by the fact there’s two of them. Louis’ grateful for it, because it gives him just a couple more minutes spent in Harry’s company – even if things feel incredibly weird between them now.

“Where again will you be staying in Australia?” Harry asks midway through their so-far silent breakfast.

‘Sydney for a bit, then on to Canberra. You?’ Louis dreads the answer as soon as he sees Harry’s disappointed face. They’ve skimmed over this a bit in their earlier conversations. Almost as if they were scared to know the answer back then too.

“Ehm, I’ll be in Sydney just for a day, but I have an old friend – well, acquaintance more like – that’s coming to pick me up. She lives in Melbourne.”

It sucks, is what it is. Because even though Louis knows that it would’ve been nearly impossible for him to meet up with Harry in Sydney anyways – knowing they’ll be in different cities makes it feel even more like a lost pipedream.

‘Well. I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time. Send me photos, yeah? You’ve got my number. We can keep in touch, I s’pose.’ Louis settles on, and Harry frowns but nods.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” he replies softly.

The silence returns after that exchange, and it continues to be quiet all until they’re back at the airport – aside from a perfunctory question by Louis at Starbucks to inquire after Harry’s preferred drink.

It’s weird. How they both seem to not really know what to say anymore, how to deal with this. It had felt like something great. It still feels like something great. It’s just… not possible to truly grow into something great right now. And Louis doesn’t know what to do with that. Hold on to it, just in case, or let it go and accept that maybe they aren’t meant to be together after all?

He’s about to say goodbye when they start calling for the business class passengers to make their way towards the lounge and board the plane from there, when Harry suddenly pivots on his feet and reaches for Louis’ hand.

“I’m not going to ask you to wait for me. We’ve only really known each other for about 24 hours, but Louis – if you happen to be single when I come back from Australia, would you consider dating me then?”

Louis stares up at his green eyes, and doesn’t have to think at all before nodding. ‘Yeah, yeah – course I would.’

Harry’s frown fades into a relieved smile, his dimple popping out again. This time, Louis can’t help but reach over and poke it, before caressing his cheek. He doesn't quite know what to say, soin the end he settles on a quiet ‘See you later, Harry.’

It seems Harry isn't faring much better, because all he does is echo Louis' words. 

“See you later, Lou.”

He lingers a bit, then decides to take the plunge and lifts on his toes so he can kiss Harry on the lips one final time, before he has to walk away. He looks back a few times, and swallows around a lump in his throat when he sees that Harry has stayed to watch him walk off.

He knows they’ll be sharing a plane still for the next 20 or so hours – but he also knows that it’s a fully booked plane and there’s hardly going to be a good time to sit and chat, or just bask in each other’s presence.

Adam’s there to show him his seat again, and this time they do end up taking off for real. It’s not that Louis doesn’t try. He knows it’s much easier for him to get into the economy class than it is for Harry to access the business class. But when he finally finds Harry hidden between two other passengers, he sees the man is asleep and decides to let him be.

And so Louis returns to his seat and arrives in Australia without seeing Harry again. He even has a lingering look around when he's in line for passport control and baggage reclaim, but he can’t manage to pick out the curly-haired man before he’s spotted by a handler from the Embassy who’s there to pick him up.

He sighs to himself as he’s unpacking in the beautiful, wonderful hotel room that’s been arranged for him. Somehow it still feels empty when he slides into bed and doesn’t have someone to snuggle into. He turns and looks at where he’s put the photo of the two of them up on the nightstand, a small smile making its way onto his face.

He snaps a photo of it and sends it to Harry with the caption ‘goodnight’.

His phone buzzes almost immediately with Harry’s reply. “goodnight, x.”

And yeah, Louis realises that he's most definitely a lost cause now - holding on to Harry it is.

 

 

* * *

 

**Present day**

Madurodam, Netherlands 

It’s been about an hour or so. Sure, Louis has the whole day to spend here, but looking back on it the park isn’t nearly as big as he remembers it to be from just 6 months ago. Also, it’s not nearly as fun and intriguing now that he’s here by himself, when nothing much has changed anyways.

He’s getting a bit nervous now, but he can’t help it. He touches the figurine again that’s hidden in his pocket, before deciding that what he needs is a cup of tea to calm him down a bit.

However, Louis freezes the moment he turns around and walks straight into someone.

Someone that smells all too familiar, sporting an all too different haircut, but with the exact same curls.

 

“Hi Lou,” Harry says impishly, then immediately pulls him in for a hug.

‘You came! You little shit, you could’ve let me know you were coming instead of making me wait and almost shit myself from pure nerves!’ Louis grumbles into his chest, but his huge smile betrays exactly how he really feels.

“My phone’s not working yet – have to switch back to a European phone plan, ‘s why we were emailing in the first place, remember?”

 

Right, Harry is completely right, but all Louis cares about is whether or not he can kiss Harry again.

‘Are you seeing anyone?’ He blurts out impatiently, as he takes in Harry's appearance and facial expression. God, he's missed him _so_ much. 

Harry shakes his head almost indignantly, seemingly getting ready to discuss any developments in his love life. But Louis doesn’t care, robs him off the chance to talk by pressing his own lips against Harry’s instead.

Harry grins back against Louis’ mouth, pulling away.

“God, I missed you so much,” he says, echoing Louis' own thoughts, then reattaches himself, gently nibbling on Louis’ lower lip in an attempt to coax his mouth open. Louis teasingly lets him slip in a little bit of tongue, before gently pushing back his chest to separate them again.

‘We’re in a public place, Harold.’

“I got hard in public way too often just because I was thinking about you, even one time when I saw people playing footie since it reminded me of you. I think I’m allowed a little tongue after six months of torture,” he pouts in reply, and Louis can’t help but shift a little as he feels himself harden a bit at Harry's blunt words.

He wants to roll his eyes at the sly grin on Harry’s face, but he ends up kissing it instead. ‘I will allow a little tongue if you stop riling me up in public. I guess tongue’s less offensive than being hard.’

Harry’s eyes shoot towards Louis’ crotch, then back up at Louis’ face as he wiggles his eyebrows.

“You know, I think we’ve seen about everything there’s to see here in Madurodam. Let’s take this elsewhere,” he suggests cheekily, pulling Louis in closer by slipping his hand into the backpocket of his jeans.

Louis can’t help but chuckle as Harry’s face scrunches up in confusion as his hand comes into contact with the figurine, rather than the jeans-clad soft swell of Louis’ bum. He pulls out the offending object, only to break out into a happy, fond smile.

‘Thought I’d give it to you, if you showed up.’ Louis explains, hands circling around Harry’s waist.

Harry tucks the figurine back neatly into Louis’ pocket, before letting his other hand rest on Louis’ bum as they start walking towards the exit of the park again.

“I think we’ll be just fine sharing that, really.”

 

 


End file.
